Episodes

Illustrator Ryan Quackenbush, (Perfect Circle, Dolls, Monster,) and I parse the connections between film and comic books as artforms, revealing our mutual addiction to cinema that stretches as far back as silent film. We discuss the interplay of the two related careers, our desire to make films one day, the state of film, and what it takes for art to endure. We also breakdown our many influences in film and comics, working outside the norm, and what we'd like to do with our work going...

Mike Dubisch joins me again to talk about the various scandals regarding men across American culture, how it affects us, how it affects our industry, and some root causes/solutions that lay primarily in the hands of men. We then break into the many interesting projects Mike has going these days, from his work in the Warren/EC style horror/sci-fi magazine "the Creeps", to his own upcoming magazine "Forgotten Futures", and a few of the other tidbits he's doing along the way. We close with...

Unique and talented cosplayer Stevie Spade talks to me about the hidden sides of cosplay, becoming a maker, social anxiety, awkwardness, and finding your community. We share several anecdotes about working comic book (& other) conventions, inhabiting characters, and using creativity to get results. The conversation is packed with jokes and laughs, but also reveals some interesting philosophical observations about our own minds, but also about the world at large.
Follow Stevie on Instagram...

Comedienne Jessimae Peluso left me with a sore face from smiling after this blazing (literally), hilarious conversation about social injustices, John Carpenter's "the Thing", organic eating, and history. We also take a ride through her incredible impression skills-- prepare to have you ears fooled! On top of that we cut into a few very current events, discuss how America takes political correctness a little too far, we share some family oddities and quirks from our childhoods, and we also...

Athena Aktipis, Assistant Professor at ASU & co-director of the Human Generosity Project, talks to me about cancer from a very unique perspective. We discuss her study of cooperation across systems, from human generosity to cancer, her focus on specific parallels between cancer and human behavior, how that may be revolutionizing cancer treatment now and into the future. This is a jaw-droppingly intriguing episode for science nerds, people who've been affected by cancer, and those looking...

Mike & I discuss something that has been nagging at me for some time, examining not just our relationship to the internet and technology, but to the content we all know, love, and voraciously consume. We discuss creative time management, content fatigue, quality vs. quantity, and the beauty of silence. This is a brainy, hopefully not-too-complainy, topical episode that applies to almost everyone, but is dedicated to the makers of free and/or regular content across multiple platforms that...

Jon Bogdanove, (Power Pack, X-Factor, Death of Superman & lots more,) sat with me after Comic Con Palm Springs to share a detailed and nostalgic dive into his history of working for the "Big 2" on some absolutely seminal works. He tells all the behind the scenes hub-bub that spurred the Death of Superman, his magical tale of landing his job at Marvel comics in the 80s, his knack for surrounding himself with the best of the best, and how openness & love got to where he is now. We discuss...

In part 2 of my great talk with Shannon Wheeler (Sh*t My President Says, Too Much Coffee Man), we cover the perils of Hollywood, the beauty of teaching art, and being typecast as an artist. We also discuss breaking new creative ground, more stylistic choices, infusing our work with real life, and the importance of constantly considering the long game. This is yet another super insightful and entertaining chat, full of wisdom for anyone running a creative career.
Pick up Shannon's amazing...

Cartoonist and longtime con-pal Shannon Wheeler (Sh*t My President says, Too Much Coffee Man) chats with me about his new book from Top Shelf in which he Illustrates Trump's most insane & inane tweets, the confused state of America, and how this time has been on the horizon for decades. We also talk about the deliberate choice of art style and techniques, pushing to make stuff happen for yourself, Kyle Baker, and a bit about Hollywood... with more about tinsel-town in part 2 next...

Illustrator Tony Guaraldi-Brown (The Cone-Nose Saga, Always) and I escaped the madness of San Diego Comic-Con, [and the crazy-busy Artist's Alley], to talk studying art outside of comics, the pleasure of working within limits, major psychological elements that forge artists, family, and writing characters from the internal perspective. We also discuss the lack of great internal superhero stories, because we feel superheroes are often internally misunderstood by their creators, and Tony...

All around music making machine DJ Roshay (Aloe, Solar Team talks with me about community, incorporating diverse influences, owning your brand, and standing out in noisy LA as an indie talent. We also talk about processing the current state of American politics, cool 80s stuff we love, practical science fiction effects, and our work together on his album Solar Team, for which I did the art-- NOW AVAILABLE for pre-sale at monkeygong.com!
I round off the episode with a special announcement...

In true late night podcasting form, Seamus Smith, Pheobe Dubisch, Mike Dubisch and I share a bunch of laughs and "con-brain" moments as we recount the way our experience at San Diego Comic Con has changed over years in attendance, and how the con has changed as well. It's a love letter to "Nerding Man" that we attend yearly, but also a glimpse at creators in intake and networking mode, thinking less about story on the page, and more about story in the moment between people.
Then I sat...

Comic book creator & animator Stephan Franck (Silver, The Iron Giant, The upcoming Playmobile Movie) sat with me in his graphic novel packed art studio to discuss the different history of comics in Europe and how that shaped his mind, the "Spirited" results of his young fervor for animation, his tandem love for multiple crafts, and a bonkers revelation about the childhood influence that led him to later create his comic SILVER. We get in depth about his work with Brad Bird on the Iron...

Children's book artist and papier mache master, Carolyn Watson-Dubisch joins me for a deep dive into art entrepreneurship, working for the long haul, the inner workings of the children's literary market, and how the residuals from one good project should be the goal, and could be a game changer for anyone's career in the arts. We also break down her recent art residency in Tetouan, Morocco, and discuss the incredible installation she built there, the experience of Ramadan as an American,...

Alex Schumacher (Decades of (in)Experience, Mr. Butterchips) and I wrap up our career survival training talk with harsh truths about brutal honesty, pushing yourself to get your best, but only in a nice way, and intentionally working to make something outside of the "industry norm" whatever the industry. We also cover placing the right limits on yourself, tailoring your world to support you, finding the right relationships to provide that support, and that basically, though Murphy's Law...

Illustrator Alex Schumacher (Decades of (in)Experience, Mr. Butterchips) and I shared libations and laughs a plenty as we discussed the hidden difficulties of an art career, losing and regaining your confidence after going "pro", and the seemingly thankless moments of making art. We also talk autobiographical work, subverting the usual comic book formats, growing (mostly) out of superhero comics, and making something personal. Then things get personal as we foray into managing the highs...

Film Editor and friend Jake Pushinsky (Man Down, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, Fighting) invited me to record with him in his editing office on the Sony lot. Getting to visit a place so packed with film history was the cherry on top of an excellent talk about the mechanics of film storytelling, naturalism, and his longtime collaboration with Dito Montiel that has yielded 7 unique & powerful films already. We get technical on the amazing scene in Fighting, which squares off Channing...

Comedian Ben Gleib (Neurotic Gangster on Showtime, The Idiotest on GSN) talks with me about the addictive nature of podcasting, technology's affects on society, clarifying the narratives in political & social debates, not needing to be right, valuing being wrong, and that the other side always has their own good reasons for feeling the way they do. We also talk about his recent travels to Israel and Palestine, the way he integrated that into his great podcast Last Week on Earth, starting...

The amazing Paul Madonna (All over Coffee, Small Potatoes, On to the Next Dream) joined me, along with my teammates Erin Lim, Ange- aka Captain Party, and producer Char from Bitch Talk, LIVE on stage at the Lost Church in San Francisco to discuss the changing experience of a long term career and life as a working artist in the city. We also get into his unique approach to narrative subject, his deft use of emotional tone, his HUGE upcoming museum show opening in JUNE 2018, and the power of...

Cody Goodfellow and I round out our talk about wearing many storytelling hats and loving film, books and comics all the same, switching gears to grow creatively, and more. We also cover his great short film Stay At Home Dad, which is gooey awesome sauce, and his upcoming work. More fun times and lots of juicy takeaways... and sounds... Expect Cody back, due to all the fun we had, and a some cool things he has on the horizon.
Find Mystery Meat Comics at mysterymeatcomics.com or...